Gets three battery capacities that can take the bike from 50 miles to 170 miles

UM-Motorcycles (United Motors) may not have been a brand name anyone of us have it at any corner of our brains, but it is an 18-year-old American global company headquartered in Miami with R&D centers and offices in Miami, India, Italy, and China. With manufacturing facilities in India and China.

The company makes commuter motorcycles, scooter, DSR Series of Euro IV compliant 125 cc Dual Sports bikes, Renegade series of cruiser motorcycles and the Xtreet naked motorcycles. Adding to their lineup, UM has taken a bold step into the electric powered motorcycles by launching their all-new Renegade Thor.

UM Renegade Thor

UM Renegade Commando

Launched at the ongoing Indian Auto Expo 2018, the Thor is basically a high-power lithium polymer battery driven Renegade Commando cruiser.
The Thor will come down with three different variants that will give a riding range from 50 miles to all the way up to 170 miles on a full charge.

This is with the three different battery capacities, 27 kWh, 15 kWh, and 7.5 kWh, that can all be charged with the onboard charger that is compatible with level 1, 2, and 3 chargers. With the optional fast charger, it takes the Thor a good 40 minutes to reach 80%. But with the level 2 charger, the charging times vary from 2 hours (for 7.5 kWh) to a life-long 7 hours (for 15 kWh) for a full charge.

The water-cooled electric motor belts a healthy 41 hp and 52 lb-ft of torque at zero rpm. One of the best positives of an electric drive. The motor pairs with a 5-speed transmission with hydraulic clutch. A belt drive sends the power to the wheel.

When it comes to styling, it pretty much looks like the Renegade Commando that has been on sale in the Indian market for a couple of years now. Typical American cruising stance with round LED split headlights, chunky forks, huge teardrop fuel tank with the instrument cluster on it, a hint of retro flair with the single curved seats and substantial rear fenders, and finally the long high handlebars. The chubby 140/90 rubbers make things interesting.

The maker has not released many mechanical details, but we can see the motorcycle uses the same 280 mm disc brakes which come with two-piston calipers towards the front and a single disc unit at the rear just like the Renegade Commando. It now gets a dual-channel ABS as well.

Pricing for the UM Renegade Thor starts at INR 4.9 lakh, ex-showroom. ($ 7,600). These bikes give the company a whole new path to venture, and with the company’s R&D unit already giving innovative technologies to add to their bike’s stature, you never know how quickly tables can turn for a brand.

UM Renegade Thor

Adding new tech onto electric bikes seems to be a step in the right direction. Future UM bikes will have the CASH (communication awareness system helmet) wherein the connected helmet communicates wirelessly with the UM motorcycle via Bluetooth technology, KAS (keyless alarm system), BSM (blind spot mirror system) wherein the rear view mirrors have a built-in section on the outer corner with a blind spot mirror, allowing the rider to see the following vehicles in the blind spot area and many other value-added offerings on the two-wheelers.